Tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts, running tracks, and other athletic and recreational surfaces are known to deteriorate over time. For example, such surfaces develop cracks, become unlevel with low and high spots due to a change in the subsurface below, and obtain air pockets under the surface that create “dead spots” (e.g., where a ball fails to bounce in its normal way). Such defects are, at a minimum, disruptive to athletic activities, but may also present safety hazards, particularly when the surface is being used for competitive activities.
Outdoor courts that are subject to climates with freeze-thaw cycles caused by large variations in temperature throughout the year are most susceptible to developing defects. The most common problem with outdoor asphalt tennis courts today is cracks. The formation of small hairline cracks can quickly develop into larger cracks when water filters into the crack and freezes during colder temperatures. The pressure created by ice in a crack can cause larger separations which render the paved surface uneven. If cracks are left without repair the entire surface can be damaged, requiring replacement of large portions of or even the entire surface. Thus, development of cracks in paved surfaces presents a continuous maintenance problem.
Current methods of repairing cracks in courts involve filling cracks with a fill material that hardens to form a surface which is level with the surrounding surface. This method is much less expensive than resurfacing an entire section of the pavement. Other methods of repairing cracks in a paved surface employ a slip-sheet method, which involves the application of multiple layers of material over a crack or crevice, with at least some of the layers being allowed to slip against each other (i.e., the layers are not adhesively in contact with one another). The slip-sheet method is intended to alleviate stresses which cause crack formation by allowing movement of the repair patch near the crack. However, filling a crack with a fill material provides only a temporary repair. Moisture can seep into small gaps between the fill material and the crack and pressure caused by freezing and thawing can cause the crack to expand. Moreover, slip sheet methods of crack repair suffer from heaving, and the formation of bubbles and dead spots at the repair site can render the repaired paved surface uneven.
Methods of complete surface replacement are known. According to one method, a special fabric is applied over an entire tennis court surface instead of to only individually visible cracks. The fabric is purposely not bonded to the court surface so as to allow the base to expand and contract at will. The problem with such a method is that air bubbles can form under the fabric to create dead spots that render the court surface uneven and unplayable.
Similar problems are seen with courts constructed from a cushion material overlaid onto a concrete or asphalt surface. The cushion material is not adhered to the underlying concrete or asphalt surface, and moisture that accumulates between the cushion material and the underlying concrete or asphalt surface heats up during warm weather and creates steam that causes air bubbles under the court surface. These air bubbles cause dead spots on the court surface.
The present invention is directed to overcoming these and other deficiencies in the art.